Arduino Mega CNC. EasyDriver or Pololu Shield

It probably can.  The benefit of the shields and such is they usually do the voltage regulation on board, and have terminal blocks for the connections and limit switches, but I don't see why you cant just use the stepper boards directly.  Also, notice those steppers have low current, if you look at the pololu, they tend to support 1-2 amps.  If you want another one board solution, look at the Printrboard .  It's based on the teensy (which is an atmel chip with a usb bootloader) and I believe can run teensyduino code.

http://printrbot.com/shop/printrboard-electronics/

Interesting. This helps a lot. One thing I overlooked was the amp rating of the Nema 17 motors that are typically used. The EasyDriver isn't rated for enough amperage. So this would cause a redesign. I will have to look into the Printrboard as well.

I would look over at reprap.org.  they have some good documentation on stepper drivers and other methods for controling stepper motors.

Hi, Eatumup.

This is Ryan from Pololu. I don't understand the comparison you are making. You can use the Pololu drivers without the shield too. The A4988 is rated for a higher current than the A3967. Also, both of these boards have current limiting, so it is likely your NEMA 17 motors will work with both. You'll probably be able to get more torque out of the A4988.

- Ryan

I think he was asking if he could use discrete stepper boards with an arduino vs getting something like a RAMPS shield.

Ryan,

  Thank you for that information. What Colecago said was correct. What I did not know is that the Pololu stepper drivers could be used without a RAMPS shield. In fact between my original post and this one, it appears that I had some terms mixed up. I thought the Ramps board with the drivers was called a Pololu shield. I have only been reasearching this specific idea for a little over a weeks so far. There is much to learn before I dive into the project.

You all have been a great help. With those part numbers I have some new leads to look into as well. Thank you all so much!

I do realize I havent done the reaserch so far so forgiv me. If the A4988 drivers can be operated without the shield, Why then the shield at all? What does the RAMPS shield bring? Does it make coding more simple?

Thank you all for your support

James

Hi,

I am also Building a CNC machine which has to alternate as a 3d printer. I am not sure which controller solution to use.

I also have the NEMA 17 motors, and they require something like 2,5A.

I would be very grateful if you could try to list pro's and cons (bearing in mind it should be able to do BOTH CNC and 3D) for e.g.:

• PrintBoard
• Arduino with and without RAMPS shield
• TinyG

I think 'eatumup' will be able to use this info too.

Thanks a lot :-)

RG